The Cyrodiil Chronicles Vol I: The Septim Legacy
by Jonathan Brenner
Summary: The story of Aaric Steele, and his role in the fall of Uriel Septim and the events that followed. Novelization of the main quest of the game. Contains spoilers.


Chapter I: From Shadows to Darkness

As far as prisons go, the Imperial City prison was only slightly better than the others in the Tamrielic province of Cyrodiil. Only, slightly, because of the scrutiny the jail has always been under. Being in the capital city of the Septim Empire, the prison was intolerant of abuse of the incarcerated inmates, so meals were regular, and prisoners unharmed, to an extent (should they become unruly, all gloves were off). And guards were not afraid to apply the term "unruly" to even the most minor of offenses. Prisoners tended to learn this lesson quickly.

The prisoners themselves varied greatly, from simple pickpockets to cold-blooded killers, sentences depending on the crime. Thieves did not stay long in the prison; usually when caught, the victims are able to reclaim their lost property and little harm is done. If you were wanted for multiple offenses, your stay is longer.

Murderers never saw short sentences. Some of the worst criminals in the province were incarcerated in the lower levels of the prison. Executions in Tamriel were outlawed; this law was established by emperor Uriel Septim upon his ascension to the throne, from his deep reverence for life. This did not mean that murderers did not lose their lives for the deed; guards can be very receptive to pleas of justice accompanied by sums of gold, from the families of victims. Murderers were often not missed and stricken from the books.

Aaric Steele was in jail for murder, although this did not necessarily mean he was a murderer. He had spent his life as a mercenary, mostly in or around the province of Morrowind. He had been involved in a heated argument late one night in a tavern, and both sides drew swords simultaneously. Steele survived to face the murder charges; complicated by the fact that the victim was of local noble blood. His life was spared by the fact that several witnesses testified that the fight was mutual, and partially self defense. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, and sent to the prison in Imperial City to avoid any problems with the local citizens loyal to the noble family.

That had been two years ago. After this time, he felt as if he may never leave the cell he was imprisoned within. Prisoners are not given any time outside their cells. Meal trays were slid through a narrow opening in the cell bars; chamber pots fetched and emptied with armed escorts. Two years with no changes can drive a man mad; eight more years would make it permanent.

Escape was also out of the question. The lock on the door was nearly as impossible at picking as it was guessing the correct number between one and a million. Regardless, Steele was a novice lock pick at best. Forcing his way out was also futile. The bars and walls were strong and thick, and probably enhanced further by magic, he thought. The Arcane University, the center of learning in magic craft, was located in the city. Surely the mages would not want thieves to be able to escape and prey upon their artifacts.

So here Steele was, two years into a ten year sentence, with no chance for escape. He often wondered how that prisoner, over forty years ago, managed it, the only one to have ever escaped. No one ever mentioned it, the mystery growing as the years progressed.

Perhaps the most unbearable of all was the resident of the cell across from his, a dark elf named Valen Dreth. One of the best thieves years ago, his capture was celebrated all over Cyrodiil. Now, in his old age, on the brink of release, Dreth spent his remaining time making Steele miserable.

Today Dreth was in as fine form as ever. "Hey, Imperial," Dreth snarled. "What shall we do today? Oh, I know, nothing! I will be out of here soon, but you won't be. You'll never be out of here! You know why? Because you are an embarrassment to Imperials! They would rather you be dead than released! You're going to die!" Steele sighed and looked to the skeleton in the corner, the former resident of the cell that the guards failed to remove. He wondered if the skeleton had died listening to these rants. He was about to ask Dreth this when the guardsman's door opened, at the top of the staircase, out of Steele's view. He heard voices, more than one, and none belonged to the jailor. Dreth, too, heard this. Before slinking into the shadows of his own cell, he hissed, "You hear that? They're coming for you! He he he!" And with that, Dreth vanished.

Steele shot the cell a glare and then listened intently to who was coming down, the voices becoming more audible as they descended.

"They are all gone, all of them?" a male voice asked. Steele thought this sounded like an older man.

"Yes, my lord," another male voiced said, though this one appeared to be much younger. "None have survived. I'm sorry."

The older voice did not respond, and Steele stepped back a step as they came into view. Three guards and an older man, presumably a noble by his clothes, stepped into view near the bottom of the staircase. One guard was a male Redguard, the others were a male Imperial and female Breton. All were clad in fine Iron armor, though Steele had never seen the design before. The old man was an Imperial, clothed in expensive robes. A bright red amulet hung from his neck. _Man, _Steele thought, _thieves all over Tamriel would die to get their hands on that._

To Steele's surprise, the guards and the old man headed straight for his cell. The Redguard saw him first. "Who is this?" he barked.

"I thought this cell was supposed to stay empty!" bellowed the Breton.

The male Imperial spoke up. "I suppose there must have been a mix-up with the jailor."

"Well, we have no choice. We must continue."

"Yes, ma'am. You there! Prisoner! Move away from the door and under the window now!" Steele was puzzled, but obliged and moved to the back of the cell.

The Redguard pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Stepping into the cell, he walked up to Steele, a katana in his hand. "Do not even think about moving." Behind him came the female. "Make sure he does not move, Baurus."

"Yes, Captain Renault," Baurus responded, still facing Steele. Renault walked to the other back corner and then turned back towards the cell door and beckonded. "Come, my lord."

The old man stepped into the cell, followed by the other guard, who closed the gate behind him, puzzling Steele even further. The old man walked towards Renault and, after glancing at Steele, stopped dead in his tracks. "You. Step closer. Let me see your face."

Steele shot a confused look at Baurus, who looked just as confused as he did. Baurus looked back at Steele and jerked his head towards the old man, gripping his blade tighter. Steele took a couple cautious steps forward, moving more into the light cast from the window.

The old man shuddered in recognition. "I know you. I have seen you in my dreams. Then today truly is the day, as it was shown to me."

Steele, still unsure of what was happening, cleared his throat. "Uh, who are you?"

"I am Uriel Septim, your ruler and emperor of all of Tamriel. For years I have served her, and it seems my time is drawing to an end."

"But," Steele asked, "what do I have to do with what today is? I'm just a prisoner locked away in this cell, that you all have decided to share with me, the gods only know why. What do I have to do with you?"

"Truly, the gods only know. The Nine guide us. Only they know the reasons behind such occurrences. My time of serving them and Tamriel is drawing to a close. Perhaps you are destined to serve Tamriel in some way, though I wonder if it will be for her benefit or not."

Renault touched Septim on the shoulder. "My lord, we must keep moving." The emperor nodded. He turned to leave, hesitated, and turned back to Steele. "Our destinies, however brief, are intertwined. Though I may play a small part in yours, you shall play a significant part in the remaining threads of mine."

Septim turned back and walked up behind Renault. Renault studied the wall for a moment, then, seemingly at random, reached out and pushed on a stone. To Steele's amazement, the stone sank briefly into the wall, and then began to protrude outward. As it did this, a large section of the wall swung out from the cell, revealing a secret passageway leading downward.

"Glenroy, you and I are frontguard. Baurus, you have the rear. This can only be opened and closed from the cell, so we have no choice but to leave it open. Let's get moving."

Glenroy moved ahead of the emperor. "Looks like this is your lucky day, prisoner," he muttered to Steele as he moved by. He and Renault began to move down the passage, Uriel Septim close behind. "Do not think of following us," Baurus warned, then he, too, began marching down.

Steele watched as they disappeared beyond a turn in the corridor. He waited a couple more moments before he moved to the edge of the passageway. He shot a glance over to Dreth's cell and saw the dark elf looking out from the shadows. Steele flashed him a grin, and then he plunged forward into the darkness, wandering if this was perhaps the secret behind that mysterious escape, all those years ago.


End file.
